Kevin Garnett is still unhappy with the Timberwolves

Future Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett isn’t ready to make nice with Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, and the second semi-ugly breakup and subsequent deep freeze  between the player and his original organization is ongoing.

Kevin Garnett didn’t leave the Timberwolves on good terms back in 2008, and while it wasn’t quite as ugly this time around, the tense feeling between KG and the Timberwolves organization remains.

Garnett, of course, had one year left on the contract that was signed with former coach and front office boss (and good friend) Flip Saunders prior to Flip’s tragic death in the fall of 2015. The aging big man didn’t necessarily fit into new boss Tom Thibodeau’s plan, and he was bought-out prior to training camp in 2016.

But beyond the ousting from the roster, Garnett felt slighted in regards to future plans. While Saunders and owner Glen Taylor were never officially able to promise any stake in ownership, Garnett believed that a minority ownership, and eventually an even larger piece of the franchise, was inevitable.

From an interview with For The Win:

"WHEN YOU WENT BACK TO THE TIMBERWOLVES, YOU TALKED ABOUT HAVING A BIGGER ROLE IN THE ORGANIZATION. GETTING A STAKE IN THE TEAM, HAVING A ROLE IN THE FRONT OFFICE, MAYBE EVEN ONE DAY BEING THE MAJORITY OWNER. IS THAT STILL A GOAL OF YOURS?It seemed like it was perfect for how Flip organized and put it together and designed it. Obviously when he left us, Glen saw differently and wanted to go a different way. I’ve always said I wanted to be a part of an organization that is about winning more progressively, in that direction. Minnesota seemed like a perfect fit for that. That has changed. I don’t see myself doing that any time soon, but that still is a goal of mine. I would like to be part of an organization that is part of winning, that I can help the young guys progress. So that’s still a dream but not a priority at this point."

The rest of the above-linked interview is equal parts Garnett talking about his unique role with TNT and discussing his relationship with the Wolves, and, more specifically, Taylor. It’s an interesting read, so be sure to check it out.

Additionally, Garnett made a few comments to The Associated Press regarding the break-up.

"“I told Thibs I want to work with him, but obviously me and Glen don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things and that’s how it’s going to be.”…Garnett also told the AP that he was upset with the way the team handled a memorial service for Saunders, the coach who drafted Garnett as a skinny teenager out of Farragut Career Academy High School in Chicago in 1995."

The issues he had with the organization? Well, he opted out of the tribute video due to the time crunch.

"One glaring absence was Garnett, who said he “couldn’t put a lifetime of friendship into three minutes.”“How do you put a time limit on something like that?” Garnett said. “And then, too, I thought he wasn’t celebrated the proper way. You have high school banners, you have (expletive) hockey banners (hanging in the rafters). You couldn’t put a Flip banner in Target Center, some place that we helped build? … We established that market. I helped grow that with him. You can’t put him in the (rafters)?“So I just had problems with how they were shoving this down all of our throats. The young guys, they weren’t invested enough to really understand what was going on. I chose to be mute, to be professional and keep all the negative energy down. There was a bigger message I wanted to tell, but I supported it and just kept my mouth shut.”"

Interesting stuff, no doubt. You may recall that back in February, Taylor stated that the team had reached out to Garnett to try and invite him back for a jersey retirement ceremony, although KG denies hearing from the organization.

Wounds are still fresh, obviously. But they were healed before — at least temporarily. And a jersey ceremony is something that will happen, it’s just a matter of how much time will pass until both parties can come together.

Next: Five Bold Predictions For The Timberwolves

It’s a shame that Garnett didn’t get to leave on his terms during his second go-round with the Timberwolves. Even still, he’ll go down as a Timberwolf, and that No. 21 jersey will be hanging in the rafters sooner rather than later.